Jakub Seidler is to become a new member of the Bank Board of the Czech National Bank (CNB), taking office on 1 December 2024. President Petr Pavel appointed him to the Czech central bank’s supreme governing body today.
Jakub Seidler graduated in economics from the Institute of Economic Studies at Charles University in Prague, where he also completed his PhD. He has also undertaken a number of research stays abroad and courses in econometric methods, financial stability and central banking. He returns to the CNB after ten years. In 2008–2014, he held various expert positions at the central bank, specifically in the Financial Stability Department, the Economic Research Department and the Monetary Department. He also served as chief economist at ING Bank and the Czech Banking Association.
The Bank Board is the supreme governing body of the CNB. Its main activities include setting monetary and macroprudential policy and the instruments for implementing them, and making decisions on measures in the area of financial market supervision. It has seven members appointed by the President of the Czech Republic for up to two terms of six years.
The current members of the CNB Bank Board are Governor Aleš Michl, Deputy Governor Eva Zamrazilová, Deputy Governor Jan Frait and Bank Board members Karina Kubelková, Jan Kubíček, Jan Procházka and Tomáš Holub. Jakub Seidler will fill a vacant position on the Bank Board after Tomáš Holub’s mandate expires on 30 November 2024.
Digital technologies can make mining more sustainable. Sunshine Seeds/Shutterstock/For editorial use only
If you visit a commercial mining operation anywhere in the world today, some sights and sounds – workers descending in elevators to underground shafts, the roar of truck engines – will be much the same as they have been for decades.
But, like many other industries, mining is changing. Digital mining involves the use of digital technologies to make mining operations more efficient, safer, and sustainable. This industry emerged about a decade ago and has developed quickly over the past few years. This uptick is the result of recent advances in sensor technology, data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning.
Is it time to make mining obsolete? This is not a realistic solution, at least not in the near future. Many modern technologies, like smartphones, electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines, depend on minerals extracted through mining. The global move towards renewable energy and low-carbon technologies means demand for minerals like lithium and cobalt is rising.
So, while mining has environmental costs, it’s also critical in the shift to a greener economy. And mining is economically important in many parts of the world. In African countries it supports millions of jobs and contributes significantly to GDP.
This is why sustainable mining is crucial. I am a professor of information systems. I investigate the complex interactions between technology, people and organisations in achieving sustainability goals. In a recent paper with a co-author, I examined how digital technologies could help mining operations to balance economic objectives with environmental and social sustainability.
The findings make it clear that digital technologies can transform mining practices and achieve sustainability goals at the same time.
Economic outcomes
Our paper took the form of a case study. We interviewed professionals from a leading digital mining solutions company. It has operations in South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Chile and the United States. The interviewees were engineers, senior managers and executives. They offered a glimpse into how their large-scale mining clients were using digital technologies like automated haul trucks and collision avoidance systems.
We wanted to know how their clients saw the role of digital technology in balancing business and other goals. They outlined some successful cases and others where companies were struggling to align all their aims.
It was clear that the company and its clients recognised the importance of safety and environmental issues in their work. But they saw these issues through the lens of business sustainability. For instance, while some mining companies pursued safety improvements, they did it primarily to boost productivity and bring down costs.
One interviewee gave the example of collision avoidance systems. Companies valued these because they reduced downtime and improved productivity. They focused on immediate business needs.
A balancing act
It’s time for mining companies that are serious about sustainability to shift their focus. Rather than simply looking to make immediate profits, they need to consider environmental and social impacts – and the role digital technology can play.
As a simple example, AI can predict when machinery is likely to fail. This allows companies to carry out timely maintenance. Equipment lifespan is extended. Downtime and repair costs are reduced. And worker safety is improved because there are fewer unexpected breakdowns. This is the kind of sustainable approach, underpinned by digital technology, that can help mining companies tick all the right boxes.
Mining leaders must not exclude employees and stakeholders when considering these issues. Environmental advocates have a role to play, too: companies must work with these groups and with local communities. A shared understanding of how digital technologies can meet both financial and sustainability targets is key.
Mining companies are more likely to change if there are clear financial benefits or penalties tied to sustainability. Governments can help by introducing stricter environmental regulations and offering incentives to adopt sustainable digital technologies. In South Africa, for instance, there are tax incentives and subsidies to encourage the use of renewable energy in mining. These measures, expanded recently in response to the country’s energy crisis, have sparked significant investment in solar power.
When paired with digital monitoring systems, renewable energy solutions can enhance efficiency by optimising energy consumption and reducing carbon emissions. Technologies like AI-driven energy management systems can help mines integrate renewable sources with less energy wastage. Thus, tax breaks or subsidies for digital solutions that support green energy adoption could motivate companies to embrace greener and more tech-driven mining practices.
Consumers and investors, meanwhile, should invest in those mining companies that demonstrate responsible practices. Ethical investment funds need to support companies with strong environmental, social, and governance credentials.
Rennie Naidoo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Students pictured in 1955 in a reading room at what is today the University of Ibadan. Flagship universities have long histories.Evans/Three Lions/Getty Images
Universities play a number of crucial roles in society. They educate students, research solutions to problems and serve as spaces for national debate. This is especially true for large public institutions, often referred to as flagship universities. A number were launched with great fanfare around the time of a country’s independence from colonial rule. They were tasked with driving national development by training skilled graduates to fill workforce gaps and conducting applied research to address societal challenges. Many have done well in their historic national missions. But how are they performing today when it comes to serving their local communities?
Higher education researcher James Ransom set out to answer this question in his new book, Revisiting Africa’s Flagship Universities: Local, National and International Dynamics. He analysed local engagement at ten African flagship universities: Ethiopia’s University of Addis Ababa; Makerere University in Uganda; the universities of Ghana, Namibia, Rwanda, Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe; the University of Cape Town in South Africa and Nigeria’s University of Ibadan. He tells The Conversation Africa what he learned.
What is a flagship university?
They are pillars of the nation: their campuses are intertwined with history as sites of protest and revolution; their researchers lead the way in publications and research; their students are tomorrow’s leaders.
Sometimes there is one flagship in a country. Sometimes a country will be home to several. In Nigeria, the University of Ibadan is joined by the University of Nigeria at Nsukka.
Small, specialist institutions and private universities all play important roles in national higher education systems. But flagships are the trendsetters. They often mentor new universities by seconding senior staff to lead them, and helping design the curricula. Their staff sit on government committees. They have international partnerships and projects.
The term “flagship” has been used elsewhere in the world, not just in post-colonial countries. In the book I focused on Anglophone sub-Saharan Africa, including countries that were not traditional colonial states, such as Ethiopia.
In the UK, where I live, we have seen a shift in the expectations placed upon universities.
The “redbrick” universities, such as Birmingham and Liverpool, are a good example. They were founded in the 19th century to meet local needs. Then they developed strong global ambitions over the next hundred years, excelling in world-leading research and innovation.
During the past couple of decades, the local question returned: what are you doing to serve your local community? The redbricks (and many others) have responded – nudged along by national policies and frameworks – with serious programmes of civic engagement. These include projects designed with communities, seconding staff into local planning organisations, and opening up their campuses to communities – from 5-a-side football pitches to photography exhibitions.
The shift I witnessed in the UK, and mirrored in my work across Europe and Canada, made me wonder: has a similar shift, from a historic national mission to a local one, taken place for African universities?
The question is timely. Societal challenges may be national or global in scale. But they need local knowledge and local partnerships to solve at the local level. This means universities working with local government, which is a key focus of my work. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has calculated that 100 of the 169 UN Sustainable Development Goal targets can only be achieved if local governments are involved. Universities can play an important supporting role.
What did you find?
It is clear that flagship universities’ local work is growing and will continue to grow. For instance, Addis Ababa University established a railway engineering centre to train engineers to maintain the city’s light rail transit system, with students employed by the Ethiopian Railway Corporation. The University of Ghana runs satellite campuses in all ten regional capitals. This allows it to reach remote areas and to establish a local presence in different regions.
Successful projects often emerge from deep links with local communities. Ibadan has worked closely with a few communities over many decades. These “field laboratories” include a community health programme in the village of Ibarapa, which began in the early 1960s with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and technical support from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The programme has trained hundreds of medical students in community medicine through practical work in rural areas, while also improving health services and conducting research on health issues in the Ibarapa community. An example is studying and addressing neglected tropical diseases such as onchocerciasis (river blindness) and guinea worm.
In 2020 the University of Ibadan signed a memorandum of understanding with the local government on the Ibarapa programme. Over half a century after it began, local partnerships continue to sustain the programme.
However, a national focus continues to dominate at all ten institutions I studied. This is perhaps best illustrated by the University of Rwanda. Local engagement activity is secondary to the nation’s development strategy spearheaded by its Vision 2050, an ambitious effort to become an upper-middle income country in the next 25 years.
There is some local activity, of course. Students provide health services to the community, staff run community workshops on informal housing, and there are plans to open model farms to showcase irrigation and agricultural mechanisation. But all of this ultimately serves the national vision.
Rwanda is a small country, but this finding – of national priorities dominating at the expense of local programmes – was consistent across all the flagships I studied, in large countries like Nigeria as well as in other small countries like Mauritius and Namibia.
What can other universities on the continent learn from your findings?
Flagships are complex institutions, with rich histories and often complicated relationships with government. They are survivors, skilled at balancing multiple roles. There is much that other universities can learn from flagships, and that flagships can learn from each other – and more of these partnerships are needed.
But one senior staff member at a flagship university told me that many African university heads
feel rather oppressed by the narratives from higher education leaders in other parts of the world
They were talking about international benchmarking, unequal research partnerships, and models of “best practice”. These constrain the local role of flagships, creating identikit institutions. The result is a race to local irrelevance. Relevance can only emerge from an approach that reflects the local and national context.
Universities that capture the work they do locally, effectively communicate this, and can demonstrate how it is relevant to society, will be in a good place to chart their own path as a pillar of the nation.
James Ransom does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
On October 30, 2024, Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Vitaly Lapshenkov took part in a round table on the topic “Development of student eSports in the international arena”, which was held in the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
The meeting participants were addressed with a welcoming speech by the President of the Russian Computer Sports Federation Dmitry Smith and the head of the working group under the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports “Development of High-Tech Sports in the Russian Federation” Amir Khamitov.
Next, the floor was taken by the Vice-President of the Russian Computer Sports Federation, President of the Association “National Student League of Computer Sports” Alexey Shemyakin. Literally the other day, the first international competitions under the official name “Open Cyber-Sports Student Games for the Prizes of the Governor of Krasnodar Krai” ended in Sochi. Teams from 16 countries came to participate in the large-scale competitions. Alexey Shemyakin summed up the results of the tournament.
Together with the Director of the Public Relations Department of the Russian Federation of Computer Sports Dmitry Tereshchenko, those gathered discussed the coverage of the international tournament, future work and the possibility of increasing the number of events held.
Next to speak was Vice President of the Russian Federation of Computer Sports Oksana Gural, who spoke about the directions of international scientific research in the field of computer sports.
At the end of the meeting, all participants of the round table discussed strengthening the position of the Russian Federation in the international arena in the field of student computer sports.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 10/30/2024
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin
October 30, 2024
Charleston, WV – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) attended the grand re-opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for West Virginia University Health System’s (WVU Medicine) Thomas Orthopedic Hospital in Charleston.
“WVU Medicine continues to be a leader in high-quality patient care and cutting-edge medical research,” said Senator Manchin. “This hospital is set to be at the forefront of orthopedic medicine, focused on bone and joint issues. I am certain all West Virginians will be able to receive quality, specialized treatment from experienced professionals using the latest medical technology. I look forward to returning to the hospital soon to hear all about its positive impacts on the community and the continued great work of everyone involved.”
Photos from the event are available here.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced four new members of the Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. The new members were appointed to four-year terms and will join the 14 current Commission-appointed committee members.
“I thank the new members for their willingness to serve on the Advisory Committee, which plays an important role in our work to facilitate capital formation for companies of every size,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. “Small businesses employ nearly half of America’s workforce and make up more than 99 percent of America’s businesses. The new members named today understand this well, and I am pleased the SEC will benefit from their valuable experiences and insights.”
The new Commission-appointed committee members are:
Jennifer Newton – Managing Attorney and Founder, StartSmart Counsel; Miami
Rose Standifer – Partner, Foley Hoag LLP; Denver
Wendy Stevens – Partner, Forvis Mazars LLP; New York
Emily Underwood – Clinical Professor of Law, Bluhm-Helfand Director of the Innovation Clinic, The University of Chicago Law School; Chicago
In addition to the 14 appointed members, the current committee members include the SEC’s Small Business Advocate, and three non-voting members appointed by the SEC’s Investor Advocate, the North American Securities Administrators Association, and the Small Business Administration, respectively. The committee also has an observer appointed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
The committee provides advice and recommendations to the Commission on rules, regulations, and policy matters relating to small businesses, including smaller public companies. Committee members represent a diverse spectrum of entrepreneurs, investors, and advisers who work with early-stage private companies and smaller public companies, including minority- and women-owned small businesses. Additional information about the committee, its members, and prior meeting materials is available on the committee webpage.
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
From October 29 to 30, the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Sustainable Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex: Innovations, Technologies, Education” was held at the Oryol State Agrarian University.
At the event, scientists from the State University of Management presented the results of their research on current issues of sustainable development of the agro-industrial complex of our country – from the export of agricultural products under sanctions and the distribution of resources in multi-level logistics ecosystems to reverse engineering and digital transformation of the agro-industrial complex.
The plenary session was opened by the rector of Oryol State Agrarian University Vladimir Masalov. The participants were also addressed with a welcoming speech by the Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Anatoly Altukhov, the State Duma deputy, Deputy Chairperson of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education Ekaterina Kharchenko and the director of the Oryol regional branch of JSC Rosselkhozbank Mikhail Shikhman.
At the plenary session, the co-chair of the conference organizing committee, Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Maria Karelina and research fellow of the Center for Management of Engineering Projects of the State University of Management Dmitry Rybakov presented the report “Digital platforms in the agro-industrial complex as elements of the infrastructure of sustainable development”.
Young scientists from the State University of Management also took part in the conference: technician of the Reverse Engineering Laboratory Dmitry Taldykin and junior research fellow of the Scientific Research Coordination Department Nikita Loganov. At the sections, they presented reports on “Using Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Optimizing Technological Processes of Reverse Engineering in the Transport Industry” and “Digital Transformations in Managing Technological Processes of Reverse Engineering in the Transport Industry of the Russian Federation: Experience and Prospects.”
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 10/30/2024
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –
On the first day of the conference, four thematic sessions were held. The first was dedicated to creative cities. “This is a complex topic, and now in Russia it is very acute, very relevant, popular. In 2020, this was completely different, four years have changed everything. Our measurements show that creative industries are incredibly unevenly distributed across regions and cities and are concentrated in certain places. That is, they are very selective. This is very important knowledge, and of course, I want to understand what kind of cities and spaces are that attract the creative industry, and what their secret is,” shared the session moderator, Director Center “Russian Cluster Observatory” Evgeny Kutsenko, Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
“The key feature of our rating is that it provides an information base for making management decisions in the field of urban management. Another feature is a truly unique system of indicators: we do not use municipal statistics, we do not use expert assessments, we use data from independent platforms that aggregate information about the best representatives of creative industries, that is, about the leaders of creative industries,” she said.
The study included eight industries that together account for about 90% of the income of the entire creative sector in the world. These are cinema and animation, computer games, music, fashion, advertising and PR, architecture, industrial design and art, which includes literature, performing arts and contemporary art.
The top 5 cities with the highest concentration of creative industry leaders include London, New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles and Paris. “If we look at this rating, we will see that in the top twenty there is parity between the East and the West, and in the top thirty there are more Western cities. Accordingly, we can say that the East is declaring itself as a full-fledged participant in the creative industries market,” Victoria Boos noted.
At the same time, the study showed that the top five cities are distinguished by a very large gap from all other cities. “You shouldn’t think that mega-creative cities only do what they do, pull creative leaders away from other settlements. The fact is that these mega-creative cities develop themselves and create creative leaders themselves,” the speaker emphasized.
The researchers also noted that over the past two years, the proportion between developed countries and the Global South in terms of the number of creative industry representatives has changed. Today, every tenth artist who has released the most downloaded music tracks is a representative of Latin America, while 150 of the most popular fashion brands, designers, and architectural firms are concentrated in the countries of North Africa and West Asia.
Creative industries are also developing in small towns – they have their own special style of creativity. It turned out that in some industries, more than 5% of stars are concentrated in cities with a population of less than 250 thousand people.
Over the past year, many cities have shown impressive dynamics, the speaker noted. For example, Dubai rose from 76th to 38th place, and Tokyo entered the top three. Victoria Boos emphasized that creative support measures are needed to develop creative industries. For example, a special economic zone for creative industries is being developed in Dubai. Similar zones have recently begun to appear and develop in China. In Australia, there are three professional associations in the field of architecture and sustainable construction. In Chile, localized music streaming services are developing. Korea subsidizes cable TV prices. India and Russia are creating film cities.
Also speaking at the session were the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Creative Initiatives and Cultural Heritage Foundation (Kazakhstan) Dina Abdrakhmet, the co-founder and Chairman of the Expert Council of the Agency for Strategic Development “CENTER” Sergey Georgievsky and the Chairman of RuGBC Guy Ims.
The second session was devoted to the management of creative industries in Russia, the third to strategic planning of creative industries and best global practices, and the fourth to education and skills in this area.
On the second day of the session, October 31, the IV International Forum of Young Researchers of the Creative Economy will take place. The authors of scientific papers that have passed the competitive selection will present their reports.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Poetry isn’t a medium typically associated with towering beasts. Lyric poems tend to be short, tender and concerned with minor everyday incidents. That, or abstract concepts like love and death. Poems also tend to be thought of, wrongly or not, as true accounts – the inverse of creature feature films with preposterous special effects.
But poets, like everyone else, live in a world of disastrous events bigger than themselves. And the monster – particularly the giant monster – is an archetype that goes right back to ancient myth.
Talos, the bronze guardian of Crete, and Humbaba, the ogre of the Epic of Gilgamesh, are just two dangerous titans of literary history. It’s tempting to think that today we know enough about our surroundings to no longer be awed by the possibility of giants. But the truth is that there is still much that makes us feel small and vulnerable. Writing about huge monsters is one way of confronting that.
Two different anthologies of monster poetry are published this month in the UK. Ten Poets Defend Their Cities from Giant, Strange Beasts is edited by myself and Kirsten Irving and published by Sidekick Books. In it, poets envisage the outcomes of giant monster attacks on London, Cambridge, Glasgow and Liverpool, among other cities. These confrontations are frequently surreal, or representations of other kinds of epic battle.
Alex Adams and Aaron Kent’s Devastation Songs, meanwhile, is a compilation of writing about kaiju, the Japanese term for gargantuan fantasy creatures. In the foreword, Adams writes about how the monster movie is often used as a vehicle for “powerfully resonant social and political ideas”, pointing to recent Oscar winner Godzilla Minus One (2024) as an example.
Here are six more poems that deal in different ways with giant monsters:
This poem is from Baudelaire’s collection Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil, 1840-1867), which was dubbed “an insult to public decency” on publication.
The Giantess reflects some of the book’s controversial themes, revelling in erotic fascination. Far from opposing the giantess, the poem’s narrator wants to see her “grow without restraint”, imagining an expedition across her vast body. Here, Baudelaire proposes monstrosity as a realm of wonder and temptation.
The Jabberwock, as illustrated by John Tenniel, (1871). Wiki Commons
3. Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
One of Carroll’s (1832-1989) most famous poems, Jabberwocky is teeming with nonsense words (manxome, whiffling, burbled). This strange language keeps the titular Jabberwock obscured even as its fiery approach and defeat is recounted.
It makes for a faithful representation of monstrosity as a quality: we can perceive it, dream up words for it, even kill it, but we can never fully understand it.
4. The Man-Moth by Elizabeth Bishop
The epigraph to The Man-Moth explains that it was inspired by a misspelling of the word “mammoth”. Bishop’s man-moth isn’t necessarily a giant, but several lines allude to his having a giant’s perspective (“The whole shadow of Man is only as big as his hat”, “He thinks the moon is a small hole at the top of the sky”).
He is a sad, lonely creature who sheds a tear at the end of the poem. Bishop often wrote about the darkness in the human psyche, and her take on the subway-dwelling city beast is an allegory for urban alienation.
5. The Loch Ness Monster’s Song by Edwin Morgan
Scottish poet Edwin Morgan (1920-2010) specialised in linguistic play. The Loch Ness Monster’s Song is almost unintelligible – a brief burst of transcribed watery noises. But it could easily be a poem written in another language.
It challenges us to recognise that what we call “monstrous” might just be unfamiliar – not a threat, but an opportunity for connection.
This contrast is used to illustrate how monsters and creatures of myth loom large in our minds primarily as the result of our imaginations. In other words, we invent them to fill the gaps in reality. We need them, because without them there are too many clues pointing nowhere.
The poem isn’t available to read online, but you can read my own pastiche of it (framed as a “DVD extra”).
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Ali Smith’s Gliff is set “once upon a time, not very far from now”. It is a kind of fairytale of the future in which two children, Briar and Rose, navigate a world which seems increasingly baffling and hostile.
Gliff is the first of a planned pair of novels – the second to be called Glyph. Although the two words sound identical, their meanings are quite different. The Scottish word “gliff” means a shock, fright or sudden glimpse. A “glyph”, meanwhile, is a written character or symbol. There’s similarly insistent wordplay in Gliff. It reflects its preoccupation with how meaning is created – and destroyed.
Smith’s latest novel shares many of the same concerns as her recent Seasonal Quartet (2016-2020): the effects of climate change, the plight of refugees, the growth of intolerance and authoritarianism. But Gliff is set in a dystopian Britain where all these problems have intensified in frightening ways. Smith therefore follows in the footsteps of a growing number of literary novelists who have turned to science fiction in recent years, as boundaries between genres become less rigid.
Some of the predictions – extreme surveillance, blistering summers, widespread penal servitude – are familiar science fiction themes. But other elements of Gliff are more surreal and fantastical. A particularly strange plot element is the use of a device called the “supera bounder”, a clunky machine which “looked like an invention made by an amateur for a joke”. This is used to spray red paint around houses, people, vehicles and animals which are targeted for removal or destruction.
When Briar and Rose find a red paint circle around first their house, then their campervan, they are forced into hiding. They lurk on the margins of society, hoping they can escape being packed off to a “reeducation centre”.
Exploring marginalisation
The sinister red paint circles are an effective symbol for the more subtle ways in which societies exclude or marginalise “undesirables” of various types. The device fits in with a long tradition of science fiction writers offering the reader a distorted reflection of the ways in which inequality and prejudice operate in society. The invisible barriers which separate rich from poor, for example, are often reimagined as literal walls or fences.
Smith gives a horrifying vision of a future world of work in which unprotected or unwanted children are forced to scavenge metal from waste in dangerous conditions and adult workers are ruthlessly surveilled, punished, fined and controlled.
One reason this is so shocking is because the novel is set solely in Britain. Under globalisation, we are already dependent on goods produced under similar conditions – but in countries which are safely remote from us. Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy can be read as a similar parable of globalisation.
Gliff can be compared with other recent works of speculative fiction which combine dystopian themes with more surreal or fantastical elements. Rumaan Alam’s acclaimed Leave the World Behind (2020), for example, uses a mysterious, undefined national emergency as the springboard for reflections on racism, over-reliance on technology, and climate change. But it also draws on fairytale motifs.
Separated from their parents, Briar and Rose resemble a science fictional Hansel and Gretel. Towards the end of the novel – through both its themes and landscapes – there are also echoes of Alan Garner’s powerful children’s fantasies. And Gliff the horse is invested with an almost mythical charge, harking back to Smith’s earlier use of magical tales from Ovid’s Metamorphoses in her novel Girl Meets Boy (2007).
Gliff demonstrates Ali Smith’s characteristic strengths as a novelist. The narrative is accessible and engaging, yet at the same time complex and subtle. Many puzzles are set for the reader – only some are resolved.
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Sarah Annes Brown does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Gardens in New York City on Sunday, October 27 was called a “carnival of grievances, misogyny and racism” by the New York Times. The event, which came just over a week before the election, was a hostile and partisan affair. Trump doubled down on his assertion that one of America’s gravest threats is from “the enemy within”.
Trump’s rhetoric is a manifestation of the increasingly polarised nature of US politics, whereby hostility from one group towards their perceived enemies is amplified across social media platforms. Yet Trump’s comment about an insidious “threat” hints at a darker undercurrent of division, with the threat of violence.
A June 2024 poll by the University of Chicago suggested that there was more support for violence against Trump than in his favour – 10% of respondents agreed that “the use of force is justified to prevent Trump becoming president”, compared to 6.9% who believed violence was justified “to restore Trump to the presidency”. Two months earlier, a Marist poll revealed that 47% of Americans believed that another civil war was likely in their lifetime.
As a report from Chatham House recently observed, the US is more divided “along ideological and political lines than at any time since the 1850s”. And according to another report from UK-based think tank, the Foreign Policy Centre, Americans have “increasingly grown to hate supporters of the other party, viewing their capture of political power as not merely unfortunate but illegitimate”.
Americans have regularly articulated a preference for living among people who share their political outlook. And they have expressed a stronger aversion to dating, living, working or socialising with supporters of another party. These views point to a state suffering the ills of sectarianism.
Those who have observed sectarianism around the world know all too well the chaos that such divisions can wreak. In the Middle East, for example, politically charged religious difference has had a devastating impact on political, economic and social life. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions displaced from their homes across Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Libya because of violence along sect-based lines.
The US may be a long way from these scenarios, but there are some early warning signs. Competing forms of what American social theorist Irving Howe calls “epistemological authoritarianism” – or a sense of certainty that is zero-sum and rejects those of the other – can be easily seen across America’s political landscape.
Protests and counter-protests have played out both on the streets and online over abortion, gun laws and LGBTQ+ rights, as well as on university campuses over the war in Gaza. Elite entrepreneurs with political capital have also positioned themselves on opposite sides of sensitive issues to cultivate support.
Take, for example, Donald Trump’s false allegations that Democratic states executed babies after birth, or that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, have been eating pets. Such comments quickly spread across social media, regardless of their veracity. For Trump’s followers, truth matters less than the ability to justify their position on a particular issue. The stance taken by political communities is increasingly polemic and predictable.
Such dynamics are, of course, also shaped by local contexts. But the growing politicisation of social identities in recent years, and the increasing political importance of social issues, has created a landscape where difference is broadly antagonistic.
In this situation, grievance becomes a means of reinforcing in-group cohesion and disdain for the other. In such a landscape, society becomes divided into mutually distrustful camps set apart by a form of emotional polarisation that takes on political meaning.
It is the emotional dimension that is key here, as this is the foundation upon which political and social enmity is built. Supreme Court decisions, for example, relating to emotionally charged issues such as abortion, have strong mobilising potential on both left and right.
Entrenched differences
Elections often exacerbate uncertainty and division, as the 2020 US presidential election and its fallout demonstrate. According to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (Acled), a research group that analyses occurrences of political violence around the world, demonstrations and far-right activity peaked around the 2020 election. This reached a crescendo with the events of January 6 2021 when Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building.
Far-right activity has dropped during Biden’s administration. But a number of far-right groups have recently become active in the run-up to the election. Meanwhile, divisions over abortion, LGBTQ+ mobilisation, and the war in Gaza have contributed to a precarious environment.
Indeed, a vast majority do not think that next week’s election will solve the issues that America faces. In a recent poll, 70% of respondents believe that things in the US are going “in the wrong direction” – a view shared more by Republican respondents (94%) than Democrat respondents (41%). And 19% of Republicans think that if Trump loses the election, he should declare the results invalid and do whatever it takes to assume office.
Pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC on January 6 2021. lev radin / Shutterstock
The schisms across the US are real and the pieces are not easily put back together. Narratives of division will continue to spread as election fever increases, further deepening the rifts in American society. And sectarianism will become the broad frame through which political and social life is viewed.
This need not necessarily become violent. But it can easily become entrenched. The increasingly hostile exclusion of “the other” in all its forms, along with a growing willingness to breach established norms and rules, requires a step back from the brink before it is too late.
Simon Mabon receives funding from Carnegie Corporation of New York. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lisa Shitomi-Jones, Research Assistant & PhD Candidate at the Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University
Women going through perimenopause – the transition period surrounding the menopause – are more than twice as likely to develop bipolar disorder for the first time according to our research. Our study is the first to investigate the link between perimenopause and the onset of severe psychiatric conditions.
Many people think of menopause as a single event that happens around a woman’s early 50s, the average age for her last period. But it’s a gradual process that typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55.
Perimenopause is the phase leading up to and following menopause, during which hormonal changes affect the menstrual cycle. This stage differs from person to person and can last several years. Symptoms may include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and irregular periods.
While physical symptoms are common, the potential effect of perimenopause on mental health – including mood changes and severe psychiatric disorders – is less understood and has been under-researched.
We were inspired to conduct our research by the patients at Professor Di Florio’s mental health clinic. It offers a free clinical service providing second opinions for people experiencing severe psychiatric disorders associated with reproductive events.
Many of the women in the clinic had never experienced severe mental health problems before menopause. But something seemed to shift during perimenopause. Suddenly many found themselves grappling with these conditions. However, upon reviewing the research, it appeared that the experiences of these women were not documented or explored in scientific literature.
To address this research gap and find answers, we conducted research using a large database called UK Biobank. This is a resource which gives approved researchers secure access to anonymous medical and genetic data from half a million volunteers. It aims to improve our understanding of how to prevent, diagnose and treat many serious conditions.
Using the data, we investigated how many participants had new onsets of psychiatric conditions during the perimenopause. We then compared this to the number of new onsets during the late reproductive stage, which are the years before the perimenopause.
The data we examined came from 128,294 women in the UK. We wanted to explore how the years around the final menstrual period may trigger serious mental health issues, including bipolar and major depressive disorders. We discovered a 112% increase in new cases of bipolar disorder. We also found a 30% rise in major depressive conditions during this time, compared to earlier stages of the late reproductive period.
Our study was the first of its kind to investigate first onsets of bipolar disorder during the perimenopause. It validates the experiences of women who were previously essentially invisible in the world of research.
Although some hypotheses exist as to why perimenopause and hormones may play a role in psychiatric disorders, much more research is required to better understand why this affects some people but not others. Researchers also need to uncover the best treatment options for these women.
We hope that our research paves the way for more research on women’s mental health at perimenopause, as well as further investigations into the underlying biological mechanisms.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
L-R: Miriam Frankel, Priya Atwal, Alice Hunt.CC BY
The Conversation UK, Curtis Brown and Faber are pleased to announce our three judges for The Conversation Prize for writers: Miriam Frankel, senior science editor at The Conversation UK, Priya Atwal, historian, broadcaster and community history fellow at the University of Oxford, and Alice Hunt, professor of early modern literature and history at the University of Southampton.
Our competition is looking for the best longform article and nonfiction book idea aimed at a general audience from our community of academics. For your chance to win £1,000, publication on The Conversation Insights and mentorship from a literary agent and book publisher then enter your 2,000-word story and book idea.
About our judges
Miriam Frankel.
Miriam Frankel is senior science editor at The Conversation UK. She is co-author of Are You Thinking Clearly? 29 Reasons You Aren’t and What To Do About It, a book investigating the many factors that influence and manipulate the way we think, from genetics, biology, bias and personality to time perception, culture, language, advertising and technology. Miriam also writes on a freelance basis for a number of publications including New Scientist, The Observer, BBC Future and BBC Science Focus magazine.
Priya Atwal is a historian of monarchy, empire and cultural politics in Britain and South Asia. Her first book, Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire, was published in 2020 and was one of BBC History Magazine’s Best Books of the Year. Priya is an active champion for public history and community empowerment in historical research. She is currently building a new Community History Hub at the University of Oxford, and regularly consults on a wide range of creative historical projects, from working on Netflix’s Bridgerton, to supporting the development of inclusive history curricula for UK state schools.
Alice Hunt.
Alice Hunt is professor of early modern literature and history at the University of Southampton. She was awarded a Leverhulme Trust fellowship to research her first trade book, Republic: Britain’s Revolutionary Decade, 1649-1660, which was published by Faber in 2024. Alice is also the author of The Drama of Coronation and has previously written about the Tudors and James I.
How to Enter
Submissions are open to academics employed or affiliated to a university or approved research institution (IRO) in the UK, Europe or Commonwealth, including PhD candidates under supervision by an academic. Submissions should be in the following areas: History, Arts + Culture, Business + Economy, Education, Environment, Health, Politics + Society, Science + Technology or World.
To enter, please email your 2,000-word article, plus the following information, to uk-prize@theconversation.com:
Name
Institution
Country
Email
Telephone no.
Your book idea [max 350 words]
Please provide a brief summary of a trade nonfiction book idea based on your article. Tell us why this topic deserves a deeper dive and why it would appeal to an audience of non-academic readers.
About you [max 100 words]
Tell us a little about you – your current academic role or affiliation, your area of expertise and any relevant research to your book idea. Why would you be the right author for this book?
Please disclose any conflicts of interest that should be mentioned in relation to your article or book idea.
Oxygen, the molecule that supports intelligent life as we know it, is largely made by plants. Whether underwater or on land, they do this by photosynthesising carbon dioxide. However, a recent study demonstrates that oxygen may be produced without the need for life at depths where light cannot reach.
The authors of a recent publication in Nature Geoscience were collecting samples from deep ocean sediments to determine the rate of oxygen consumption at the seafloor through things like organisms or sediments that can react with oxygen. But in several of their experiments, they actually found oxygen was increasing as opposed to decreasing as they would have expected. This left them questioning how this oxygen was being produced.
They found that this “dark” oxygen production at the seafloor seems to only happen in the presence of mineral concentrates called polymetallic nodules and deposits of metals called metalliferous sediments. The authors think the nodules have the right mixture of metals and are densely packed enough for an electrical current to pass through for electrolysis, creating enough energy to separate the hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) from water (H₂O).
The authors also suggested that the amount of oxygen created may fluctuate depending on the number and mixture of nodules on the ocean floor.
This research team was trying to understand the implications of mining metals from the deep-sea floor such as lithium, cobalt or copper, funded by an extractions company in an effort to ensure deep sea mining leads to a net benefit to humanity and the Earth system. Lithium and cobalt are used, for example, to make rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops and electric vehicles. Copper is vital for electrical wiring in devices like TVs and radios and for roofing and plumbing.
The investigation was focused on the Clarion-Clipperton zone of the Pacific Ocean, a vast plain between Hawaii and Mexico where millions of tons of these metals have been found. However, scientists believe mining on this scale is potentially unpredictable and can destroy habitats vital to ocean ecosystems. Deep-sea mining can also introduce harmful sediment plumes to fragile ecosystems leading to a growing number of countries calling for a moratorium.
Dark oxygen for life
The implications for this finding may also play a role in life elsewhere.
Oxygen is essential to complex life as we know it. Complex life has evolved and expanded alongside photosynthesisers, which actually produce oxygen as a waste product. Yet this oxygen allows organisms’ metabolisms to be much more efficient than without it.
Without photosynthetic bacteria, the reliance that Earth’s life has on oxygen may well have never happened, in addition to the evolutionary pathway to biodiversity as we know it. But this study shows that rich-nodules on the seafloor may have provided an additional source of oxygen to the biosphere – the zone of life on Earth encompassing all living organisms.
We can’t understand how these nodules may have affected evolution until we understand more about how they formed deeper in time. At the moment, all we really know it that we these nodules would have needed oxygen themselves to form.
Studies like this show how much the origin of life on Earth is still a mystery.
Lewis Alcott does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The Perseverance rover lurks in the quiet, cold, desolate landscape of Jezero crater on Mars, a place masked in shadows and haunted by past mysteries. Built to endure the planet’s harsh conditions, Perseverance braves the thin atmosphere and extreme temperature swings. Its microphone captures the eerie whispers of martian winds, sending shivers down your spine, and records ghostly dust devils swirling across the barren terrain. Has the microphone caught the sound of a skeleton rattling its bones? We’ll leave that up to your imagination.
Recently, Perseverance navigated the sinister slopes of the Jezero crater rim, seeking out a series of ramshackle ridges to uncover the rim’s hidden geological secrets. The rover emerged from the shadows to descend into a field of light-toned rocks, illuminating the landscape reminiscent of bones and tombstones. Along the way, the rover encountered dark bedrock at Mist Park. Perseverance will then face another daunting climb back up the crater rim, venturing deeper into the great unknown.
Unlike vampires or other creatures of the night, Perseverance needs rest after long days of exploring the mystifying martian landscape. As night falls, the rover sleeps after watching the Sun sink below the horizon, casting ominous shadows across the landscape. The chilling winds howl through the night like a haunting lullaby for the fearless explorer. However, Perseverance sometimes wakes up from things that go bump in the night. While instruments mostly conduct their scientific measurements during the day, they are not afraid of the dark, often tasked with observing what lurks in the shadows and gazing at the martian night sky. Perseverance occasionally looks up to image the auroras and to get a glimpse of Phobos and Deimos, Mars’ two Moons.
Mars is like a hotel you can check in and out of, but you can never leave. It has become a graveyard of long-dead landers and rovers, but Perseverance is nowhere near ready to leave the land of the living. In fact, the ghosts of past rovers and landers guide Perseverance on its journey. As we continue to uncover the secrets of Mars, we are reminded of its past and the mysteries that still linger. Join us in pondering the mysteries of Mars as we explore its haunted history.
Written by Stephanie Connell, Ph.D. Student Collaborator at Purdue University
Australia’s new digital ID system promises to transform the way we live. All of our key documents, such as driver’s licences and Medicare cards, will be in a single digital wallet, making it easier for us to access a range of services.
The federal government is still developing the system, with a pilot expected to run next year. Known as the “Trust Exchange”, it is part of the Trusted Digital Identity Framework, which is designed to securely verify people’s identities using digital tokens.
Earlier this year, in a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra, Federal Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten, called the new digital ID system “world leading”. However, it has several privacy issues, especially when compared to international standards like those in the European Union.
So how can it be fixed?
What is Trust Exchange?
Trust Exchange – or TEx – is designed to simplify how we prove who we are online. It will work alongside the myID (formerly myGovID) platform, where Australians can store and manage their digital ID documents.
The platform is intended to be both secure and convenient. Users would be able to access services ranging from banking to applying for government services without juggling paperwork.
Think of the system as a way to prove your identity and share personal information such as your age, visa status or licence number — without handing over any physical documents or revealing too much personal information.
For example, instead of showing your full driver’s licence to enter a licensed premises, you can use a digital token that confirms, “Yes, this person is over 18”.
But what will happen to all that sensitive data behind the scenes?
Falling short of global standards
The World Wide Web Consortium sets global standards around digital identity management. These standards ensure people only share the minimum required information and retain control over their digital identities without relying on centralised bodies.
The European Union’s digital identity system regulation builds on these standards. It creates a secure, privacy-centric digital identity framework across its member states. It is decentralised, giving users full control over their credentials.
In its proposed form, however, Australia’s digital ID system falls short of these global standards in several key ways.
First, it is a centralised system. Everything will be monitored, managed and stored by a single government agency. This will make it more vulnerable to breaches and diminishes users’ control over their digital identities.
Second, the system does not align with the World Wide Web Consortium’s verifiable credentials standards. These standards are meant to give users full control to selectively disclose personal attributes, such as proof of age, revealing only the minimum personal information needed to access a service.
As a result, the system increases the likelihood of over-disclosure of personal information.
Third, global standards emphasise preventing what’s known as “linkability”. This means users’ interactions with different services remain distinct, and their data isn’t aggregated across multiple platforms.
But the token-based system behind Australia’s digital ID system creates the risk that different service providers could track users across services and potentially profile their behaviours. By comparison, the EU’s system has explicit safeguards to prevent this kind of tracking – unless explicitly authorised by the user.
Finally, Australia’s framework lacks the stringent rules found in the EU which require explicit consent for collecting and processing biometric data, including facial recognition and fingerprint data.
Filling the gaps
It is crucial the federal government addresses these issues to ensure its digital ID system is successful. Our award-winning research offers a path forward.
The digital ID system should simplify the verification process by automating the selection of an optimal, varied set of credentials for each verification.
This will reduce the risk of user profiling, by preventing a single credential from being overly associated with a particular service. It will also reduce the risk of a person being “singled out” if they are using an obscure credential, such as an overseas drivers licence.
The system should also be decentralised, similar to the EU’s, giving users control over their digital identities. This reduces the risk of centralised data breaches. It also ensures users are not reliant on a single government agency to manage their credentials.
Australia’s digital ID system is a step in the right direction, offering greater convenience and security for everyday transactions. However, the government must address the gaps in its current framework to ensure this system also balances Australians’ privacy and security.
The work has been supported by the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre Limited, whose activities are partially funded by the Australian government’s Cooperative Research Centres Programme.
The work has been supported by the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre Limited whose activities are partially funded by the Australian government’s Cooperative Research Centres Programme.
The work has been supported by the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre Limited, whose activities are partially funded by the Australian government’s Cooperative Research Centres Programme.
In a context shaped by unprecedented challenges and uncertainties, this workshop will delve into topics of strategic relevance for the BUDG Committee and its preparatory work for the own-initiative report that will set out the Parliament’s priorities and expectations for the post-2027 EU long-term budget, before the Commission’s proposal, due by July 2025.
The workshop will gather external experts from the London School of Economics, CEPS, University of Cologne, College of Europe, Bruegel and Jacques Delors Institute, that will share their insights and policy-oriented inputs regarding the following topics:
Performance-based instruments and mainstreaming in the EU budget
An inspiring 116-strong group of shortlisted talent performing and working across Scotland’s vibrant traditional music scene have today been unveiled as nominees for the 22nd MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards.
Musicians, bands, organisations, teachers, venues, events and individuals involved in the creation and development of Scottish’s homegrown music are shortlisted across 22 categories.
The public has until Sunday 10th November to vote for their favourites at www.scotstradmusicawards.com. The winners will be announced at a star-studded award ceremony at Inverness Leisure on Saturday 30th November when the event returns to the Highland capital for the first time in 10 years.
The single most important awards ceremony for folk and trad musicians, bands and artists, the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards are organised by Hands Up For Trad – an organisation which stands at the forefront of Scotland’s cultural landscape, promoting traditional music and culture through their talent development, education and advocacy work.
The gold standard for industry achievement, the awards night will fittingly be held on St. Andrew’s Day and seeks to celebrate stand-out talent from all corners of the country working across a range of genres and styles to create and promote Scotland’s trad music scene over the last 12 months.
The nominees are:
Album of the Year, sponsored by Birnam CD
Headstrong by HEISK
Just a Second by Ryan Young
The Waiting Room by Eamonn Nugent
A Breaking Sky by Charlie Grey & Joseph Peach
The Outset by Project Smok
Vent by Laura Jane Wilkie
Halocline by Malin Lewis
The Magic Roundabout by Session A9
ReLoved by Capercaillie
The Homeroad by Ross Couper Band
Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year, sponsored by Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland
Beth Malcolm
Siobhan Miller
Josie Duncan
Seàn Gray
Club of the Year
Glee Club at Celtic Connections
Ayr Phoenix Folk Club
Ardersier International Folk Club
The World’s Room
Community Project of the Year, sponsored by Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland
Scottish Polish Song Society – Aberdeen University
People’s Parish
Fèis air an Oir
Falkirk Fiddle Workshop
Composer of the Year, sponsored by PRS for Music
James Ross
Gillian Fleetwood
Alec Dalgeish
Mairead Green and Mike Vass (A.D.A.M)
Jack Badcock
Ali Hutton & Laura Beth (From the Ground)
Event of the Year, sponsored by VisitScotland
Carrying Stream Festival
Skipinnish at Edinburgh Castle
Cuirm Nam Bonn òir le Ruairidh Gray
Jura Music Festival
Ceòl Cholasa
Fèis na Mara
Gaelic Singer of the Year, sponsored by Highland Society of London
Ainslie Hamill
Ceitlin Lilidh
Emma MacLeod
Kathleen MacInnes
Katie Macfarlane
Live Act of the Year
Kinnaris Quarter
An Dannsa Dub
Mec Lir
Niteworks
Ross Ainslie and Tim Edey
RuMac
Music Tutor of the Year, sponsored by Creative Scotland Youth Music Initiative
Margaret Houlihan
Douglas Montgomery
Carly Blain
Daniel Thorpe
Musician of the Year, sponsored by University of the Highlands and Islands
Ciorstaidh Beaton
Anna Massie
Tom Callister
Adam Holmes
Alasdair Iain Paterson
Patsy Reid
Original Work of the Year, sponsored Musicians’ Union
Ar Cànan ‘s ar Ceòl by Trail West
Centennial March (Glen Burnie Lodge) by Louise Bichan
Alice Allen’s New Voices ‘Bass Culture’
The Dedication Jigs by Ross Miller
Tom Campbell Trio EP
Scottish Dance Band of the Year, sponsored by National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs
Graeme MacKay
Jackie Raeburn
Calum Nicolson
Michael Philip
Scottish Folk Band of the Year, sponsored by Threads of Sound
Cala
Fras
Haltadans
The Paul McKenna Band
RANT
DLÙ
Scottish Pipe Band of the Year, sponsored by National Piping Centre
Skye Youth Pipe Band
Dunoon Grammar Pipe Band
George Watson’s Pipe Band
Dornoch Pipe Band
Trad Music in the Media, sponsored by Glasgow Caledonian University
Friday Night Trad – Radio Skye with Robert MacInnes
Karine Polwart’s Monthly Newsletter
Piping Sounds with Michael Steele and Ewen Henderson
Kim Carnie Out Loud
Jared Rowan (Social Media)
Up and Coming Artist of the Year, sponsored by Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Tarran
Amy Laurenson
Falasgair
Teud
Gillie O’Flaherty
Lauren Collier Band
Venue of the Year
Catstrand Arts
Eden Court
Kings Place, London
The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Croy Live
A number of special prizes will also be awarded on the night, selected by a panel of esteemed industry judges, for services to traditional music and culture.
Legendary Skye band Niteworks will receive the Services to Gaelic Award, sponsored by Bòrd na Gàidhlig; beloved musician Christine Martin will be presented with The Hamish Henderson Services to Traditional Music Award, while celebrated poet Rab Wilson will receive The Janet Paisley Services to Scots Language Award, supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
This year’s event also welcomes the introduction of a new award, The Gaisgeach na Gàidhealtachd, which means Hero of the Highlands. This award will recognise a notable local organisation or figure who has made an invaluable contribution to Highland cultural life and the winner will be named on the night.
A number of stalwarts of the scene who have dedicated their lives to the development of music in Scotland are each year added to the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame, sponsored by Fèisean nan Gàidheal and will be honoured in a special reception on the night.
A raft of industry awards will also recognise individuals and organisations which support the creative pipeline of the sector. Those finalists are:
Industry Person of the Year
Michael Pellegrotti
Roddy MacKay
Gary Innes
Laura Harrington
Rosie Munro
Production Company of the Year
Pro Sound
FE Audio
Adlib
SM Lighting
Recording Studio of the Year
B&B Studios
Castlesound
Assumption Studios
Black Bay Studios
Sound Engineer of the Year
Alain ‘Dinner’ MacKinnon
Carla Feuerstein
Ross Cathcart
Stage Technician of the Year
John McFarlane
Chris Adam
Ronnie Phipps
Gary Ebdy
As well as all category sponsors and the event’s headline sponsor, this year’s MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards, the ceremony’s return to the Highlands is made possible with funding and support from Creative Scotland, Inverness Common Good Fund,Highland Council via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Scottish Government.
Scots Trad Music Awards organiser Simon Thoumire said: “Scotland’s traditional music scene is bursting at the seams with exceptional talent and it’s incredibly important we take time to recognise the achievements and progress over the last year. From some of the most exciting young new bands, to legends of the industry we will be tipping our hats to the best of the best in Inverness this November. Voting is now open and it’s over to the public to decide who they would like to see honoured on the night. We’re proud that this event has become synonymous with excellence in Scottish music and incredibly grateful to all those who make its staging possible.”
Siobhan Anderson, Music Officer at Creative Scotland said: ““Congratulations to all the nominees. Now public voting is open, it’s a fantastic chance for people to celebrate and honour all their favourite artists, recordings, organisations, projects and contributors to this vibrant sector. The list of nominees reflects the vast array of talent across the genre and all the people who contribute towards sustaining traditions and creating innovative work.”
Margaret Cameron, Director of Content at MG ALBA, said: “Now in its 22nd year, it’s incredible to see how the event continues to flourish, showcasing the very best of Scots Trad music. This year’s nominations of the MG ALBA Scots Trad Awards once again highlight the remarkable talent within the scene, reflecting the vibrancy and depth of Scotland’s musical heritage. We’re thrilled to bring the awards to the fantastic Inverness Leisure Centre on St. Andrew’s Day, and MG ALBA is proud to support the event and broadcast the celebration live on BBC ALBA, ensuring audiences across the country can join the party.”
An outstanding lineup of talent is set to take to the stage over the course of the evening, including the Hebridean-born and Highland-based singer and musician Julie Fowlis, whose award-winning talent is recognised the world over; Skipinnish who round off their 25th anniversary year in a fitting fashion’ BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2024 Calum McIlroy; party-starters An Dannsa Dub; the inimitable duo of Laura Wilkie and Ian Carr; Aberdeenshire folk star Ellie Beaton; and young local talent in the form of Highland Young Musicians and Arc Fiddlers.
The MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards will take place at Inverness Leisure Centre on St. Andrew’s Day, Saturday 30th November 2024. The awards will be broadcast on BBC ALBA from 9pm.
The College of Nursing, Army Hospital (R&R) proudly hosted the commissioning ceremony of its VII batch of 26 Military Nursing Cadets, marking the culmination of four years of rigorous education and training. The degree course is conducted under the aegis of the University of Delhi.
The commissioning ceremony was reviewed by Lt Gen Shankar Narayan, Director and Commandant, Army Hospital (R&R). The occasion was also attended by esteemed guests, dignitaries, and proud parents. Lt Muskan Sharma was awarded the Silver Medal for First in Merit, Best All-Rounder Award.
NHRC, India’s open house discussion on ‘Sports and Human Rights: Safeguarding the Rights and Well-being of Sportspersons’ in India Chairing the discussion, Acting Chairperson Smt Vijaya Bharathi Sayani says respecting human rights of the sportspersons and ensuring protection thereof through an institutionalized mechanism is necessary for better performance of the country’s talent in sports
Intersectionality between athlete rights and the role of institutions in safeguarding them highlighted
Among various suggestions, strengthening institutional mechanism within various sport bodies to develop social equitability among the sportspersons emphasized
Ensuring action on complaints of sexual harassment through functional institutional mechanisms in all sports bodies underscored
Posted On: 29 OCT 2024 7:51PM by PIB Delhi
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India, organized an open house discussion in hybrid mode on ‘Sports and Human Rights: Safeguarding the Rights and Well-being of Sportspersons’ at its premises in New Delhi today. Chairing the discussion, Acting Chairperson, Smt. Vijaya Bharathi Sayani said that maintaining human values is the hallmark of a sportsperson’s spirit. Therefore, respecting the human rights of the sportspersons and ensuring protection thereof through an institutionalized mechanism is necessary for better performance of the country’s talent in sports.
She highlighted the importance of understanding the intersectionality between athlete rights and the role of institutions in safeguarding them. The concept of intersectionality can help policy makers and sport programmers understand how different types of discrimination – like racism, homophobia, and ableism – combine to prevent athletes particularly women from participating in sport.
The Acting Chairperson also stressed strengthening the judicial mechanisms in addressing any violations of athlete rights besides the rehabilitation of sportspersons in case of abuse and addressing their mental health concerns.
NHRC, India Director General (Investigation), Shri Ajay Bhatnagar emphasized zero tolerance for sexual abuse of sportspersons. He highlighted how institutions, especially those in authority, are more accountable for safeguarding athletes.
Earlier, the NHRC, India Joint Secretary, Shri Devendra Kumar Nim gave an overview of the three technical sessions of the open house which included ‘Rehabilitation of Sportspersons after Incidents of Abuse,’ ‘Mental Health of Sportspersons in India’ and ‘Institutional Frameworks Required to Safeguard Interests of Sportspersons.’
Some of the suggestions that emerged from the discussion were as follows:
• It is necessary to have coaches having training in clinical psychology to prepare the athletes better;
• Streamline insurance benefits to athletes suffering sports injuries;
• Bring awareness among athletes to report sexual abuse;
• Ensure action on complaints of sexual harassment through functional institutional mechanisms in all sports bodies;
• Strengthen institutional mechanisms to support para-athletes;
• Strengthen institutional mechanisms within various sports bodies to develop social equitability among sportspersons from diverse backgrounds and marginalized communities;
The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Netaji Subhas Sports Authority of India at Patiala, National Centre for Sports Science and Research, National Sports University, Imphal, Wrestling Federation of India, National Rifle Association of India, All India Kabaddi Federation, Sports and Rights Alliance, Switzerland, WAKO India Kickboxing Federation, Humans for Sports, UK, GoSports Foundation based in Bangalore, India and Sports Injury Centre at the Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.
Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer
Last Year, Schumer-Supported And Binghamton University-Led Battery Research Hub Won Inaugural NSF Engines Competition, And This Year Even More From NY Are Competing For Funding As The Contest Launches For Second Year
Schumer Says 5 NY-Based Projects Were Selected – The Most Of Any State – Ranging From University At Buffalo AI Research To Rochester’s Laser Lab To Cornell’s New Technology For Upstate Dairy Farmers And More; All To Spur New Innovations And Good-Paying Jobs
Schumer: NY Is Leading The Charge To Boost American Innovation And Economic Leadership!
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer today announced that five New York teams have advanced to the next round of consideration for federal investment through the National Science Foundation’s Regional “Innovation Engines” Competition (NSF Engines), which was created by his CHIPS & Science Law.
The five teams include projects ranging from the University of Rochester’s effort to develop cutting-edge laser technology, to the University at Buffalo-led AI for Health Equity, to Cornell University leading sustainable dairy innovation, to FuzeHub strengthening Upstate NY’s microelectronics manufacturing, to CUNY bolstering the tristate region’s biotechnology sector. Schumer said these five projects in NY, along with a total of 71 teams across the country, will now submit full proposals to compete for up to $160 million in federal investment from the CHIPS & Science Law. You can read more about this year’s competition here.
“I created the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program in my CHIPS & Science Law with New York’s world-renowned universities and innovation ecosystem in mind. I’m thrilled to see five NY-based teams reach the next round in the competition for major federal investment to boost American innovation, new jobs, and economic leadership,” said Senator Schumer. “From Buffalo pioneering the next generation of AI to Cornell discovering new technology to help our Upstate dairy farmers to Rochester powering the future of laser development, these projects show how NY can lead our nation in developing the technology and jobs of the future. The NSF is saying what I have long known: keeping America at the cutting edge of innovation across industries begins in New York. This major federal funding can help translate more research and development at New York’s universities into new businesses and new, good-paying jobs across the state, boosting New York to further lead the charge in powering America’s economic preeminence.”
More details on the five New York-based proposals can be found below:
The University of Rochester’s proposal, officially named “STELLAR: Advancing Laser Technologies in the Rochester NY/Finger Lakes Region,” is focused on establishing a diverse coalition of partners in the Rochester-Finger Lakes region to accelerate laser discovery, technological advancement, education, and company creation, drive manufacturing and boost workforce development in order to help recapture U.S. national competitiveness and strengthen our security. The STELLAR Engine will foster laser-oriented workforce development, particularly in underserved communities in Rochester and rural communities in the Finger Lakes, accelerate use-inspired R&D, entrepreneurship, and regional business development that will create jobs, build a laser science and technology talent pipeline, bolster the supply chain, and grow and sustain the region’s economy.
The University at Buffalo’s proposal, officially named “AI for Health Equity,” will work to utilize artificial intelligence to develop cutting-edge health care solutions, further highlighting Western New York’s leadership in building an AI innovation ecosystem, something Schumer has actively pushed for. The project aims to boost new start-up companies and help partners commercialize AI technology centered on health and wellness. This new technology will aid health care providers and serve as personal assistance to community members. Eventually, the project will expand so that its technology can serve communities beyond Western NY and across the country.
Cornell University’s proposal, officially named “Sustainable Utilization of Scalable Technologies & Advanced Innovation for NetZero NY (SUSTAIN Dairy),” aims to reduce waste, create new dairy products, and develop new rural and workforce development opportunities. It is one of five projects in this round that is focused on agriculture and the only project focused on dairy. This proposal aims to develop a holistic, science-based framework for achieving net zero by 2050 from farm to fork through an advanced dairy innovation ecosystem. With dairy manufacturing and family farms scattered throughout rural New York, achieving place-based innovation that builds community wealth is vital for the future success of Upstate New York.
CUNY-ARC’s proposal, officially named “Tech-Enabled, Bioinspired & Biomanufacturing Ecosystem (Tri-State Tech-Biome),” aims to address critical regional challenges by creating an ecosystem that accelerates the innovation and commercialization of bio-inspired technologies and materials derived from renewable feedstocks. This work is being done in coordination with industry players and leading research universities in the region.
FuzeHub’s proposal, officially named “A Materials Innovation Engine for Manufacturing Sustainability,” will work to mitigate the negative impacts on the environment from manufacturing industries by replacing toxic or scarce components with advanced materials. FuzeHub competed last year for this award as well and was asked to resubmit.
“I proudly supported the CHIPS and Science Act to pave the way for critical investments like the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovative Engines program,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “With the University of Rochester’s STELLAR engine advancing to the next phase, we celebrate Rochester’s legacy in optics and photonics and our designation as a Regional Tech Hub. This milestone honors our community’s pioneering spirit, and I look forward to working with the NSF to elevate Rochester’s role in shaping the future of technology.”
“I am very pleased that our Science, Technology, and Engineering for Laser and Laser Applications Research (STELLAR) proposal will be advancing to the next stage and can continue to compete for transformative funding focused on creating and growing a diverse, workforce-focused laser ecosystem in Rochester and Upstate New York,” said Thomas Brown, the Director of the University’s Institute of Optics. “Our proposal is the only one to address declining U.S. leadership in laser manufacturing, since lasers are a fundamental enabling technology underpinning the entire internet, chip manufacturing, and a host of other technologies. I particularly thank Senator Schumer for his vision in establishing the regional innovation engines program at the National Science Foundation through his landmark CHIPS and Science Act, our many academic, industry and community partners, and the NSF for their consideration of support.”
“The NSF Regional Innovation Engines program, created through the CHIPS and Science Act, is strengthening our nation’s manufacturing sector and boosting our global competitiveness,” said Congressman Kennedy. “At the forefront of this progress are five New York based teams that have made it to the next round of the process to receive game-changing federal funding to build on the progress Western New York has made to become a national-leader in the tech space. These teams are making our state and region a leader in innovative manufacturing while creating good-paying union jobs.”
“As the home of Empire AI, UB is dedicated to leveraging our game-changing artificial intelligence research to alleviate health disparities in underserved populations throughout our region,” said UB President Satish K. Tripathi. “With an NSF Engines award, UB will be able to harness our AI- informed health innovations to improve the health and well-being of individuals and families across Western New York, ultimately growing participation in our region’s economy. On behalf of all of us at the University at Buffalo, I would like to thank Majority Leader Schumer for his steadfast support of UB. In championing federal research funding for institutions of higher education, Senator Schumer is helping UB fuel impactful innovations, contribute measurably to economic development and enhance health outcomes across the lifespan.”
Last year, Schumer helped the Binghamton University-led Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine win the esteemed competition in its inaugural year, bringing $15 million in federal funding immediately, with up to $160 million total over the life of the program from the NSF to supercharge growth and cutting-edge research in battery development and manufacturing in Upstate NY. The projects selected this year will build upon the inaugural cohort’s work developing new state-of-the-art technology.
Schumer created the NSF’s Regional Innovation Engines Program in his CHIPS & Science Law as a program that falls under the newly created NSF Directorate of Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships. Schumer proposed the creation of this Directorate originally in his bipartisan Endless Frontier Act, with a focus on delivering investment in research, workforce training, and entrepreneurship in key technology areas like AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, climate-smart research, advanced materials, and more. The NSF Regional Innovation Engines program catalyzes and fosters innovation ecosystems across the United States to promote and stimulate economic growth, job creation, and spur regional innovation.
Each NSF Engine can receive up to $160 million over 10 years; actual amounts will be subject to a given NSF Engine’s status and overall progress, as assessed annually. The teams selected in this recent announcement will submit full proposals to NSF by February 2025, with final awards made next year, pending appropriations.
We’re launching a $200 million regional AI initiative. The regional development agencies will help support AI start-ups to bring new technology to market. And they will help drive AI adoption by Canadian businesses across the economy. I do want to say to Canadian businesses who are excited about the benefits of AI in their businesses, please think about using a Canadian AI company when you are using AI in your business. This is a great strength we have; take advantage of the great AI companies we have here at home.
October 22, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario
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Thanks everyone for being here. I want to start by recognizing the work that all the people at Parliamentary Protective Services do to make it possible for all of us to do our jobs. On this anniversary of the death of Corporal Nathan Cirillo, who was shot to death while he was guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, it’s worth reflecting on how essential they are. They take risks every day. Thank you very much to them.
I will begin by talking about the Canadian economy, and then I’ll talk about actions we are taking to protect and support Canadian workers, and tariffs, and then new measures on artificial intelligence.
After that, my colleague, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault (Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages), will talk about reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. After that, my colleague, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos (Minister of Public Services and Procurement), will talk more about what we are doing regarding artificial intelligence and promoting its adoption in the whole Canadian economy.
Let me start by making a couple of comments about the Canadian economy.
We have been getting some good news in recent weeks. Last week, we got the September inflation number, which was 1.6 per cent. For nine months now, inflation in Canada has been within the Bank of Canada’s target range. And the September number was a three and a half year low.
With inflation coming down, we have now seen three interest rate cuts. The Bank of Canada was the first central bank in a G7 country to cut interest rates for the first time. It was the first central bank in a G7 country to cut interest rates for the second time. And it was the first central bank in a G7 country to cut interest rates for the third time.
Wages have now outpaced inflation for 20 months in a row and in September, we had a good jobs number, with 47,000 jobs created. And the unemployment number actually went down a little bit.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) published its World Economic Outlook today. And in that Outlook, the IMF forecasted that Canada will have the strongest economic growth in the G7 in 2025. There is a lot more we need to do, but on the macroeconomic front, we’re seeing some solid progress.
Now, I want to talk about the tariff measures. The government has imposed a 100 per cent tariff on all electric vehicles manufactured in China and it became effective on October 1st.
We also announced that we would put in place a 25 per cent tariff on imports of steel and aluminum products from China. Today is a significant day. Today is the day that our tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum of 25 per cent enter into force. This is a really important measure. It is to protect these essential Canadian industries, and the Canadians who work there, from unfair Chinese trade practices, and from an intentional policy of Chinese overcapacity in an environment where neither labour nor environmental standards are honoured.
It’s also really important because it is absolutely essential for the Canadian economy that we can say to our partners in North America that Canada will not be a backdoor for diverted Chinese goods, whether it’s electric vehicles or steel and aluminum.
We are also announcing today a remissions framework. We know that there are some businesses that are anxious about adjusting to this shift in supply chains. It’s really important for us that these essential measures do not harm Canadian businesses or Canadian workers. So, we are prepared to offer tariff relief in exceptional circumstances and we’re publishing today an email address that Canadian businesses can use to apply for tariff relief and a framework that will guide decisions on remissions.
A second announcement for today is that we are moving forward on the support for AI and AI adoption, which we announced in the budget in the spring.
Canada is a global AI superpower. There is no better evidence of this than the fact that Canada’s own, and the University of Toronto’s own, Geoffrey Hinton, was recently awarded a Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking research. That research, that Canadian strength in AI, and the underlying thinking behind it, is a huge advantage for Canada in the economy today.
Our government knows that helping Canadian businesses adopt AI is a really important part of leveraging the Canadian AI advantage.
Today we are announcing that we’re going to be investing $300 million of the $2.4 billion for AI that we put forward in the budget in the spring.
We’re launching a $200 million regional AI initiative. The regional development agencies will help support AI start-ups to bring new technology to market. And they will help drive AI adoption by Canadian businesses across the economy. I do want to say to Canadian businesses who are excited about the benefits of AI in their businesses, please think about using a Canadian AI company when you are using AI in your business. This is a great strength we have; take advantage of the great AI companies we have here at home.
We have an economic plan, a plan for affordability, to build more housing faster and for economic growth. Our priority is to give a fair chance to every generation. Thank you.
The United States, through USAID, committed $57.4 million, working with Congress, to accelerate food security initiatives and advance novel climate-smart agricultural solutions to reduce global hunger, poverty, and undernutrition. Announced at the 2024 World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue in Iowa, more than $38 million will support Feed the Future – the U.S. government’s global hunger initiative – Innovation Labs.
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab network, including two newly funded labs, will advance technology development and draw on the expertise of top U.S. universities and host country research institutions to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges in agriculture and food security. The Climate Resilient Sustainable Intensification lab, led by Kansas State University, will conduct research to develop and adapt technologies that increase agricultural productivity on less land with fewer environmental tradeoffs. At Washington State University, the Veterinary Vaccine Delivery lab will accelerate the development and deployment of cold-chain-independent vaccines for livestock.
New investments in existing labs include World Coffee Research joining Cornell University to develop improved coffee varieties and the University of Florida partnering with the University of California, Davis to address poultry disease through advances in chicken breeding. Cornell, Purdue, and Michigan State Universities have been awarded extensions to continue work on climate resilient crops, food safety policies and regulations, and local food security policy, respectively.
The remainder of the funding includes an award to accelerate the development and deployment of disease-resistant wheat varieties through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and CIMMYT; a contribution to the Global Crop Diversity Trust to increase the availability of adapted crops and seeds to meet the challenges of new pests and diseases, higher temperatures, less water, and soil degradation; and funding to non-profit Akademiya2063 to support African leadership on agriculture policy reform.
Feed the Future has continued to deliver strong results, as demonstrated in this year’s newly launched Feed the Future Interagency Report. In the initiative’s first decade both hunger and poverty fell by 20 to 25 percent in areas of focus. In 2023 alone, Feed the Future worked with 6.2 million producers to apply improved agricultural practices on 4.5 million hectares of cropland and cultivated pasture. In addition, small and medium businesses and farmers accessed $1.4 billion in agriculture-related financing and leveraged $677 million in private-sector investment – double the level in fiscal year 2020 – resulting in record sales of more than $4.6 billion.
Building on this success, Feed the Future will continue to work with partner countries, donors, and both the public and private sector in the United States and abroad to accelerate transformational change.
Editor’s note: This article was published May 23, 2003, in NASA Armstrong’s X-Press newsletter. NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, was redesignated Armstrong Flight Research Center on March 1, 2014. Ken Iliff was inducted into the National Hall of Fame for Persons with Disabilities in 1987. He died Jan. 4, 2016.
As an Iowa State University engineering student in the early 1960s, Ken Iliff was hard at work on a glider flight simulation. Upon examining the final results – which, in those early days of the computer revolution, were viewed on a long paper printout – he noticed one glaring imperfection: the way he had programmed it, his doomed glider would determinedly accelerate as it headed for the ground. The culprit was a single keystroke. At the time, programming was based on data that had been painstakingly entered into the computer by hand, on punch cards and piece by piece. Somewhere, Iliff had entered a plus sign instead of a minus sign. The seemingly minor incident was to foreshadow great things to come in Iliff’s career. Not long after graduation, the West Union, Iowa, native found himself at what was then called simply the NASA Flight Research Center located on Edwards Air Force Base. “I just knew I didn’t want to be sitting somewhere in a big room full of engineers who were all doing the same thing,” Iliff said of choosing Dryden over other jobs and other NASA centers. “It was a small center doing important things, and it was in California. I knew I wanted to be there.” Once at Dryden, the issue of data tidbits was central to the new hire’s workday. Iliff’s post called for him and many of his colleagues to spend much of their time “reading up” data – a laborious process of measuring data from film using a single reference line and a ruler. Measurements were made every tenth of a second; for a ten-second maneuver, a total of one hundred “traces” were taken for every quantity being recorded. “I watched talented people spending entire days analyzing data,” he recalled. “And then, maybe two people would arrive at two entirely different conclusions” from the same data sets. As has happened so often at the birth of revolutionary ideas, then, one day Iliff had a single, simple thought about the time-intensive and maddeningly inexact data analysis process: “There just has to be a better way to do this.” The remedy he devised was to result in a sea change at Dryden, and would reverberate throughout the world of computer-based scientific research. Iliff’s work spanned the decades that encompassed some of Dryden’s greatest achievements, from the X-15 through the XB-70 and the tentative beginnings of the shuttle program. The solution he created to the problem of inaccuracy in data analysis focused on aerodynamic performance – how to formulate questions about an aircraft’s performance once answers about it are already known, how to determine the “why?” when the “what happens?” has already happened. The work is known as “parameter estimation,” and is used in aerospace applications to extract precise definitions of aerodynamic, structural and performance parameters from flight data. His methodology – cemented in computer coding Iliff developed using Fortran’s lumbering binary forerunner, machine code – allowed researchers to determine precisely the type of information previously derived only as best-estimate guesses through analysis of data collected in wind tunnels and other flight-condition simulators. In addition to aerospace science, parameter estimation is also used today in a wide array of research applications, including those involving submarines, economic models, and biomedicine. With characteristic deference, Iliff now brushes off any suggestion of his discovery’s significance. Instead, he credits other factors for his successes, such as a Midwestern work ethic and Iowa State University’s early commitment to giving its engineering students good access to the new and emerging computer technology. To hear him tell it, “all good engineers are a little bit lazy. We know how to innovate – how to find an easier way. “I’d been trained well, and given the right tools – I was just in the right place at the right time.” But however modestly he might choose to see it characterized, it’s fair to number Iliff’s among the longest and most distinguished careers to take root in the ranks of Dryden research engineers. Though his groundbreaking work will live forever in research science, when Iliff retired in December he brought to a close his official role in some of the most important chapters in Dryden history.
His pioneering work with parameter estimation carried through years of aerodynamic assessment and data analysis involving lifting-body and wing-body aircraft, from the X-15 through the M2-F1, M2-F2 and M2-F3 projects, the HL-10, the X-24B and NASA’s entire fleet of space shuttles. His contributions aided in flight research on the forward-swept-wing X-29 and the F/A-18 High Angle of Attack program, on F-15 spin research vehicles, on thrust vectoring and supermaneuverability. Iliff began work on the space shuttle program when it was little more than a speculative “what’s next?” chapter in manned spaceflight, long before it reached officially sanctioned program status. Together with a group spearheaded by the late NASA research pilot and long-time Dryden Chief Engineer Milt Thompson – who Iliff describes unflinchingly as “my hero” – Iliff helped explore the vast range of possibilities for a new orbiting craft that would push NASA to its next frontier after landing on the moon. In an environment much more informal than today’s, when there were few designations of “program manager” or “task monitor” or “deputy director” among NASA engineers like Iliff and Thompson, a handful of creative, disciplined minds were at work dreaming up a reusable aircraft that would launch, orbit the Earth and return. Iliff’s role was to offer up the rigor of comparison in size, speed and performance among potential aircraft designs; Thompson and Iliff’s group was responsible, for example, for the decision to abandon the notion of jet engines on the orbiter, decreeing them too heavy, too risky and too inefficient. Month in and month out, Iliff and his colleagues painstakingly researched and developed the myriad design details that eventually materialized into the shuttle fleet. There was, in Iliff’s words, “a love affair between the shuttle and the engineers.” And in a display typifying the charged environment of creative collaboration that governed the effort – an effort many observe wryly that it would be difficult to replicate at NASA, today or anytime – the body of research was compiled into the now-legendary aero-data book, a living document that records in minute detail every scrap of design and performance data recorded about the shuttles’ flight activity. Usually with more than a touch of irony, the compiling of the aero-data book has been described with phrases like “a remarkably democratic process,” involving as it did the need for a hundred independent minds and strong personalities to agree on indisputable facts about heat, air flow, turbulence, drag, stability and a dozen other aerodynamic principles. But Iliff says the success of the mammoth project, last updated in 1996, was ultimately enabled by a shared commitment to a culture that was unique to Dryden, one that made the Center great. “Well, big, complicated things don’t always come out like you think they will,” Iliff said. “But we understood completely the idea of ‘informed risk.’ We had a thorough understanding of risks before taking them – nobody ever did anything on the shuttle that they thought was dangerous, or likely to fail. “The truly great thing (about that era at Dryden) was that they mentored us, and let us take those risks, and helped us get good right away. That was how we were able to do what we did.” It was an era that Iliff says he was thrilled to be a part of, and which he admits was difficult to leave. It was also, he adds with a note of uncharacteristic nostalgia, a time that would be hard to reinvent today after the intrusion of so many bureaucratic tentacles into the hot zone that spawned Dryden’s greatest achievements. A man not much given to dwelling on the past, however, Iliff has moved on to a retirement he is making the most of. Together with his wife, Mary Shafer, also retired from her career as a Dryden engineer, he plans to dedicate time to cataloging the couple’s extensive travel experiences with new video and graphics software, and adding to the travel library with footage from new trips. Iraq ranks high on the short list. During his 40-year tenure, Iliff held the post of senior staff scientist of Dryden’s research division from 1988 to 1994, when he became the Center’s chief scientist. Among numerous awards he received were the prestigious Kelly Johnson Award from the Society of Flight Test Engineers (1989), an award permanently housed in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and NASA’s highest scientific honor, the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Award (1976). He was inducted into the National Hall of Fame for Persons with Disabilities in 1987, and served on many national aeronautic and aerospace committees throughout his career. He is a Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and is the author of more than 100 technical papers and reports. He has given eleven invited lectures for NATO and AGARD (Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development), and served on four international panels as an expert in aircraft and spacecraft dynamics. Recently, he retired from his position as an adjunct professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. Iliff holds dual bachelor of science degrees in mathematics and aerospace engineering from Iowa State University; a master of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California; a master of engineering degree in engineering management and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, both from UCLA. Iliff’s is the kind of legacy shared by a select group of American engineers, and to read the papers these days, there’s the suggestion that his is a vanishing breed. NASA and other science-based organizations are often depicted as scrambling for new engineering talent – particularly of the sort personified by Iliff and his pioneering achievements. But, typical of the visionary approach he applies to life in general as well as to science, Iliff takes a wider view. “I remember, after the X-1 – people figured all the good things had been done,” he said, with a smile in his voice. “And of course, they had not. “If I was starting out now, I’d be starting in work with DNA, or biomedicine – improving lives with drug research. There are so many exciting things to be discovered there. They might not be as showy as lighting off a rocket, but they’re there. “I’ve seen cycles. We’re at a low spot right now – but military, or space, will eventually be at the center again.” And when that day comes, Iliff says he hopes officials in the flight research world will heed the example of Dryden’s early years, and give its engineers every opportunity to succeed unfettered – as he had been. “Beware the ‘Chicken Littles’ out there,” he said. “I hope the government will be strong enough to resist them.”
Sarah MerlinFormer X-Press newsletter assistant editor Former Dryden historian Curtis Peebles contributed to this article.
GOVERNOR GREEN MAKES APPOINTMENTS TO SEVERAL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 29, 2024
HONOLULU – Governor Josh Green, M.D., is pleased to announce the appointment of V.R. Hinano Rodrigues to the Commission on Water Resource Management. Per the process outlined in state statute, Rodrigues will serve as interim until he is confirmed by the Hawai’i State Senate.
Rodrigues has more than two decades of dedicated service in cultural preservation and community engagement, and a wealth of knowledge relating to Hawai‘i’s unique environment and cultural heritage. A native of Olowalu on Maui, Rodrigues is well-respected for leading multidisciplinary teams and championing initiatives for the benefit of the state’s natural resources.
His extensive years as a History and Culture Branch chief at the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) have equipped him with the insights and skills necessary to navigate the complex challenges facing our water resources today.
“All three candidates nominated for this role were incredible individuals, each with unique qualifications and deep commitments to serving our communities,” said Governor Green. “Hinano stood out as best suited for the commission due to his extensive experience and understanding of Hawai‘i’s cultural and environmental landscape. This role is essential for ensuring the sustainable management of our most precious resource — water — and requires a leader who can honor the balance between housing needs and cultural preservation. I am confident that Hinano’s knowledge, dedication and passion for safeguarding Hawai‘i’s heritage will serve the people of our islands well in this vital role.”
In his new role on the commission, Rodrigues will work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure sustainable management of Hawai‘i’s precious water resources while honoring cultural values. His exceptional communication and conflict resolution skills will be invaluable in fostering partnerships between government agencies, local communities and environmental organizations. This term is expected to end on June 30, 2028.
Green recently appointed Ciara Kahahane as first deputy of the Commission on Water Resource Management. Kahahane, a Lahaina native and former deputy with the Attorney General’s office, joins Department of Land and Natural Resources First Deputy Director Ryan Kanakaʻole and Chair Dawn Chang in leading DLNR as an all-Native Hawaiian executive team.
A photo of Hinano Rodrigues can be found here.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs Salary Commission: Governor Green also announced today the appointment of distinguished members to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Salary Commission. Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS) Section 10-9.5 requires the Governor to appoint an OHA Salary Commission every four years. The commission studies and makes recommendations for the salaries of the members of the board of trustees for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
Appointees: Ian Custino Tyler Gomes Kawehi Inaba Reyn Kaupiko Anita Naone Dennis Rose Venus Rosete-Medeiros
Hawai‘i Commission on Salaries: Governor Josh Green also announced today the appointment of distinguished members to the state Commission on Salaries. As established by law, the commission will review and recommend salaries for justices, judges, legislators, department heads, executive officers and deputies within the executive branch, excluding the University of Hawaiʻi and Department of Education. It will also make recommendations for the salaries of the administrative director of the state or equivalent position, the governor and the lieutenant governor. Salaries set under this provision cannot be reduced during a term unless by general law affecting all state salaried officers of the state.
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal jury in Hartford has found DICKSON ALORWORNU, also known as “Dixon Al,” 35, a citizen of Ghana residing in Greenwich, guilty of fraud offenses. The trial before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala began on October 23 and the jury returned guilty verdicts on both counts of an indictment this afternoon.
According to the evidence presented during the trial, in December 2017, Alorwornu used other individuals’ names, fake Social Security numbers, and email addresses to submit two non-degree student applications to the University of Connecticut (“UConn”). He then used American Express card information that had been stolen from three victims to fund the two student accounts with a total of more than $62,000 in fraudulently obtained funds. In early 2018, Alorwornu withdrew from the courses and requested that UConn refund the money he had deposited. UConn subsequently transferred tens of thousands of dollars to bank accounts Alorwornu controlled. The investigation revealed that the email accounts that Alorwornu used to defraud UConn were also used to commit fraud at other universities.
The jury found Alorwornu guilty of two counts of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count. Judge Nagala scheduled sentencing for February 19.
Alorwornu was arrested on February 1, 2023. He is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the UConn Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward Chang and Elena Coronado.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Matt Rosendale (Montana)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02) introduced the University Forced Vaccination Student Injury Mitigation Act, which will require higher education institutions to pay the medical costs for any student who was required or is currently required to take a COVID-19 vaccine to attend classes and experienced an adverse reaction. The higher education institutions would lose all federal funds from the Department of Education if they do not comply with the requirements set out in the bill. The University Forced Vaccination Student Injury Mitigation Act is cosponsored by Congressman Eli Crane (AZ-02) and Congressman Bill Posey (FL-08), has received support from No College Mandates, and Dr. Joseph Marine who is Section Chief of Cardiology at Johns Hopkins Community Physicians.
Washington Examiner published an exclusive article highlighting new legislation. You can see the story by clicking on the image below.
“If you are not prepared to face the consequences, you should have never committed the act,”Rep. Rosendale said,“Colleges and universities forced students to inject themselves with an experimental vaccine knowing it was not going to prevent COVID-19 while potentially simultaneously causing life-threatening health defects like Guillian-Barre Syndrome and myocarditis. It is now time for schools to be held accountable for their brazen disregard for students’ health and pay for the issues they are responsible for causing.”
“No student in the United States should face crippling medical costs because of an experimental vaccine their school forced them into receiving. We must hold institutions to account for continuing to inflict COVID-era idiocy on their student body, and that’s exactly what this bill would accomplish. I’m proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation to help rectify this unjustified overreach,”said Rep. Eli Crane.
“College students were never at risk of severe injury or death from any variant of the COVID-19 virus and institutions of higher education had this data well in advance of mandating COVID-19 vaccines. Yet in the spring of 2021, college students were stripped of their fundamental right to bodily autonomy and informed consent when colleges imposed some of the most coercive and restrictive vaccination policies. Countless college students have been injured by COVID-19 vaccinations, and we are grateful that Representative Matthew Rosendale is introducing a new bill to hold colleges accountable for the injuries their unnecessary, unethical and unscientific policies have caused for without such legislation, these students and their families would have no other recourse,”said Lucia Sinatra,co-founderof No College Mandates.
“COVID-19 vaccine mandates for college students were flawed policies that did not alter the course of the pandemic and were not needed to keep college campuses “safe.” I had to make efforts to prevent my own high school and college age children from receiving COVID-19 booster shots that they did not want or need. It seems reasonable to me that institutions that implemented such policies without a sound medical or scientific rationale should take responsibility for any proven medical harm that they caused,”said Joseph Marine, MD, MBA, FACC, FHRS, Section Chief of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians.
Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin
October 29, 2024
Charleston, WV – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $12,320,520 from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for seven projects in West Virginia. This statewide funding will support economic and workforce development, educational opportunities, and entrepreneurship.
“The Appalachian Regional Commission is a longtime partner of the Mountain State and today’s announcement is proof of that. This investment of more than $12.3 million will bolster workforce and educational opportunities, healthcare, infrastructure and entrepreneurship for countless West Virginians,” said Senator Manchin. “As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of these projects and I remain dedicated to strengthening economic growth across Appalachia.”
Individuals awards listed below:
$10,000,000 – American Association of Community Colleges
This funding will support creating a network for cybersecurity workforce development statewide.
$500,000 – Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Inc.
This funding will support developing a statewide plan for a health task force and pilot programs for mobile healthcare.
$500,000 – New River Conservancy
This funding will support developing a plan for an expansion of the New River Water Trail.
$500,000 – Teach for America
This funding will support expanding the recruitment and retention model for educators in West Virginia.
$418,000 – Grow Ohio Valley
This funding will be used to develop a plan to create a sustainable network of food and energy systems in West Virginia.
$212,800 – University of Pittsburgh
This funding will support developing a plan for biotech workforce development and engagement in West Virginia.
$189,720 – DRIVE (Driving Real Innovation for a Vibrant Economy)
This funding will support building an incubation network for small businesses and entrepreneurs in West Virginia.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
10.29.24
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during the Senate Judiciary Committee field hearing in Chicago, Illinois, entitled “Reducing Prescription Drug Prices: How Competition Can Make Medications Affordable for Patients.” The hearing included two witness panels, including Members of Congress from Illinois and advocates for prescription drug pricing reform, to examine recent legislative successes to address anti-competitive tactics that make medications unaffordable for patients.
Durbin first questioned Dr. Anthony D. Douglas II, General Surgery Resident at the University of Chicago, about the Medicare negotiation of Jardiance, a medication to treat people with diabetes, including his father. Jardiance’s manufacturer steadily raised the drug’s price over the last five years, from around $450 to nearly $600 for a 30-day supply. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare is finally able to negotiate the price it pays for certain prescription drugs, including Jardiance. And the Biden-Harris Administration was able to negotiate the price for Jardiance down to $197 per month—a 66 percent discount.
“Tell me what that price reduction means to your patients?” Durbin asked.
Dr. Douglas responded that having this necessary medicine reduced in price will mean “saving lives” thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration.
Durbin then asked Dr. Douglas about direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertising. The pharmaceutical industry spends $6 billion per year to flood the airwaves with direct-to-consumer drug ads. Durbin and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced the Drug-price Transparency for Consumers (DTC) Act, a bill that would require price disclosures on advertisements for prescription drugs, in order to empower patients and reduce excess spending on medications.
“It strikes me that there are a handful of drugs which we are bombarded with when it comes to advertising—you cannot watch a football game or anything on your television without getting an ad for a drug… The fact that we can pronounce and even spell Xarelto is proof positive that we have been trained by these ads. I am assuming and tell me if I’m wrong, that the pharmaceutical companies basically decided if we can convince the ultimate consumer to go into the doctor’s office and say, ‘I need this’ or whatever it happens to be, that the doctor is going to prescribe it as opposed to questioning whether or not it is necessary or if there is an affordable generic. Is that true?” Durbin asked.
Dr. Douglas responded that he believes that is the drug companies’ strategy when targeting consumers through DTC ads. He continued to say, “Not only do they advertise directly to physicians to prescribe the medications but also patients to go into the clinics and hospitals to ask,” for example, Ozempic.
Durbin also asked Dr. Michael Sandsmark, Director of Pharmacy, Iroquois Memorial Hospital (IMH), about the long wait lines at pharmacies, including at Walgreens, and even closures.
Dr. Sandsmark responded that there, “is a lot of burnout” among pharmacists right now and corporations are having trouble finding staff. Dr. Sandsmark also commented on the rigorous and expensive price of pharmacy school and training.
Durbin then asked Rachel Sachs, Professor of Law, Washington University in St. Louis, and Kwame Raoul, Attorney General, State of Illinois, about pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)—middlemen that manage drug benefits for insurance plans.
Dr. Sachs responded, “we should think broadly about opportunities at the federal level and state level for PBM reform.” In February 2024, Attorney General Raoul along with 38 other attorneys general, sent a letter to Congress expressing support for reforming how PBMs operate. In June, he joined an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case addressing the states’ authority to regulate PBMs.
Durbin then asked Dr. Sachs about claims from the pharmaceutical industry and its allies that the Inflation Reduction Act’s common-sense reform to enable Medicare to negotiate for lower prices will “freeze innovation,” and potentially prevent new drugs from coming to the market. The cancer drug Keytruda had $25 billion in sales last year. The revenue for this single medication is on par with what Mastercard or the McDonald’s Corporation earn per year.
“How can it possibly be that a penny less in profit to Big Pharma will stifle innovation?” Durbin asked.
Dr. Sachs responded, “in my view, what we really care about is the value of innovation to patients. It is about delivering real [and] new clinical value and reforms that preserve and protect that value rather than the amount of innovation are what matters.”
Durbin then asked Dr. Douglas about pharmaceutical companies often spending more in sales and marketing than on research and development. Dr. Douglas responded he is aware of the uneven spending. He continued to say we need to put profits over people. In 2020, Johnson & Johnson spent nearly twice as much on sales and marketing—$22 billion—as it spent on R&D.
Video of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here for TV Stations.
The United States has the highest prescription drug prices in the developed world, on average nearly four times higher than what other countries pay for some of the most common brand-name medications. Despite claims that these prices are necessary to fund research and development into the next generation of drugs, research suggests that the majority of innovation is driven by smaller companies, as well as taxpayer funding through the National Institutes of Health. The Committee has jurisdiction over competition issues and the intellectual property system, which play critical roles in incentivizing true innovation and protecting a healthy market that keeps prices for prescription drugs within reach of the patients that need them.
Durbin, Senate Democrats, and the Biden-Harris Administration have taken numerous steps to lower the costs of prescription drugs. Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Actprovided the Administration the authority to negotiate drug prices with Big Pharma, which has already resulted in price reduction of up to 79 percent for 10 of the most expensive and frequently-dispensed prescription drugs for seniors.
Earlier this Congress, a package of bills advanced unanimously out of the Committee to lower prescription drug prices and are awaiting a vote in the full Senate, including the Interagency Patent Coordination and Improvement Act introduced by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Thom Tillis (R-NC).
Additionally, Durbin held a full committee hearing in May that scrutinized pharmaceutical companies’ abuse of the Orange Book and examined prescription drug prices, competition, and how to ensure medications are accessible and affordable for patients.
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Released by: The Premier, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology
Scientia Professor Helen Christensen AO from UNSW Sydney and the Black Dog Institute is being recognised as the NSW Scientist of the Year in the 2024 Premier’s Prizes for Science & Engineering.
Professor Christensen is one of 10 exceptional researchers, innovators, and educators being honoured at the Premier’s Prizes for Science & Engineering, held at Government House in Sydney tonight.
Professor Christensen’s selection as Scientist of the Year is in recognition of her pioneering work in digital mental health research, which has significantly influenced mental health care practice both in Australia and internationally.
In 2000, she developed the digital intervention program, MoodGYM, to reduce depression in young people, which has been used by millions of people across more than 160 countries.
She served as the Executive Director and Chief Scientist at the Black Dog Institute from 2011 to 2021, while her work creating a model of suicide prevention has been incorporated into national and state suicide prevention plans.
She will receive a trophy and $60,000 in prize money.
Nine category winners are also being announced tonight, each receiving a trophy and $5,000 in prize money:
Excellence in Mathematics, Earth Sciences, Chemistry or Physics Professor Susan Coppersmith, UNSW Sydney
Excellence in Biological Sciences (Ecological, environmental, agricultural and organismal) Distinguished Professor Ian Paulsen, Macquarie University
Excellence in Medical Biological Sciences (Cell and molecular, medical, veterinary and genetics) Professor Stuart Tangye, Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Excellence in Engineering or Information and Communications Technologies Distinguished Professor Willy Susilo, University of Wollongong
NSW Early Career Researcher of the Year (Biological Sciences) Dr Ira Deveson, Garvan Institute of Medical Research
NSW Early Career Researcher of the Year (Physical Sciences) – Dr. Jiayan Liao, University of Technology Sydney
Leadership in Innovation in NSW Distinguished Professor Karu Esselle, University of Technology Sydney
Innovation in NSW Public Sector Science and Engineering Dr Annette Cowie, NSW Department of Primary Industries and University of New England
Innovation in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics Teaching in NSW Jodie Attenborough, Tottenham Central School
“These awards are about recognising and thanking our state’s most outstanding scientists, engineers, and teachers.
“Professor Christensen’s work has helped millions of people worldwide.
“Her online self-help courses to help address common mental health disorders have been pioneering.
“Mental health support is vital for so many people. Professor Christensen has improved support for people in NSW, and people around the world.
“Mental health is one of the pressing challenges of our time, and Professor Christensen’s innovations have made an important impact.”
Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Anoulack Chanthivong said:
“Tonight is the NSW Government’s chance to recognise some of the leaders from NSW’s world-class research and innovation community.
“We celebrate not only research excellence, but visionary work that is driving the establishment of new high-tech companies to tackle some of our state’s most difficult problems.”
“Tonight, we celebrate leading thinkers in areas as diverse as quantum physics, synthetic biology, immunology, cybersecurity and satellite telecommunications.
“We acknowledge the work of established senior academics as well as lauding the contributions of our best early career researchers.
“My congratulations to everyone honoured tonight, and especially to 2024 Scientist of the Year, Professor Helen Christensen, for her profound impact in the critically important area of mental health.”
2024 NSW Scientist of the Year Professor Helen Christensen said:
“I’m deeply honoured to receive this award from the NSW Government.
“It’s exciting to see this recognition for scientific work in mental health—an issue now seen globally as the leading health concern, even surpassing cancer, obesity and COVID.
“Mental health science has the power to transform lives. We’re at a tipping point, where advancements in genetics, AI, and software engineering, are reshaping our understanding of mental illness, the impact of societal factors, and how technology delivers proven treatments to those who need them.”
